After months-long negotiations and various reports that he was on the verge of coming over, the Cavs have finally signed Russian center Sasha Kaun to a contract, according to David Pick. Kaun was the 56th pick of the 2008 draft after playing four years of college ball at Kansas.

Kaun probably won’t play much in Cleveland. They’re pretty crowded up front between Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov, Tristan Thompson (assuming he re-signs) and Anderson Varejao (if he stays healthy). But he’s 30 years old, so this the time to make the jump from Europe to the NBA if he’s ever going to.

The Cavs still haven’t worked out new deals with Tristan Thompson or J.R. Smith, but they appear to be close to signing another player who’s been on their radar for a while. Russian center Sasha Kaun, a second-round pick in 2008, looks to be on the verge of finally making the jump over to the NBA.

His visit was for the purpose of house hunting, among other things, sources said.

Kaun, 30, and the Cavaliers have yet to reach an agreement. However, “it’s only a matter of time” before a deal is struck, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The Cavaliers’ main focus is on locking up a longtime pact with restricted free agent Tristan Thompson.

Kaun is to depart town on Tuesday and it is anticipated that a deal will not be finalized before his exit, I’m told.

The Cavs don’t have much to spend on Kaun — other than a minimum deal, they have about $1.2 million left in their taxpayer midlevel exception (they used $2.1 million of it on Mo Williams). It’s also doubtful that Kaun will get much playing time in a crowded frontcourt that includes Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov, Anderson Varejao and (once they inevitably re-sign him) Thompson. But at age 30, if Kaun was ever going to make the leap over to the NBA, now’s the time to do it.

Brazil’s men’s and women’s national teams will compete in the Olympic Basketball Tournament at the 2016 Rio Games after FIBA’s Central Board decided to grant them automatic places at its meeting in Tokyo on Sunday.

The decision was made based on the Brazil Basketball Confederation (CBB)’s application which confirms they meet the various sporting requirements, including having a rich sporting history in basketball and being able to guarantee their best teams competing in Rio.

CBB, supported by its partners and the Brazil Olympic Committee (BOC), has made a firm commitment to pay the outstanding debt.

According to FIBA’s statutes, the Central Board holds the right to grant automatic qualification to the host country organising the Olympic Games.

This is obviously great news for Brazil. Nene, Tiago Splitter, Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa, Lucas Nogueira and Bruno Caboclo can definitely compete for a medal.

It’s also great news for the other teams competing in the FIBA Americas Championship:

Canada

Argentina

Puerto Rico

Dominican Republic

Venezuela

Mexico

Panama

Cuba

Uruguay

The top two teams in that tournament, which begins Aug. 31, that haven’t already received an Olympic bid qualify for Rio. With Brazil gaining an Olympic berth now, that opens the door for another team in the FIBA Americas.

Last month, FIBA, basketball’s international ruling body, set a deadline of July 31 for the Brazilian Basketball Federation to pay “significant outstanding dues” to FIBA “in order to be granted automatic qualification places for Rio 2016.”

FIBA did not explain what the unpaid dues were for, or exactly how much money was owed – estimates suggest it could be $1-million. That, of course, is a fraction of the $12-billion or so that Brazil’s organizing committee is spending to stage the Games.

Earlier this year, according to a FIBA spokesman, CBB proposed to repay the debt on a schedule extending to 2019. FIBA said no, and set the deadline. Its spokesman explained by e-mail: “A solution needs to be found by [July 31, 2015] so that all participating teams know the qualification process for the Olympic Games and the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.”

Most likely, Brazil will just pay these dues. But if this matter remains unresolved, Brazil could potentially still qualify for the Olympics through other means.

Brazil is scheduled to compete in the FIBA Americas Championship next month, though perhaps FIBA would block Brazil’s inclusion based on these unpaid dues. The top two teams in the tournament qualify for the Olympics, and the U.S. – Olympic berth already clinched – isn’t competing. With several NBA players to draw upon – Nene, Tiago Splitter, Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa, Lucas Nogueira and Bruno Caboclo – Brazil would be a strong contender.

But if Brazil needs to use one of the FIBA Americas’ two qualifying slots, that closes a door for the other nine teams in the tournament:

Canada

Argentina

Puerto Rico

Dominican Republic

Venezuela

Mexico

Panama

Cuba

Uruguay

Safe to say, these other North and South American teams are rooting for Brazil to settle with FIBA.

After being ravaged with injuries in the playoffs, the Cavaliers are going to be close to full strength for next season. They lost Anderson Varejao in December to a torn Achilles, Kevin Love to a separated shoulder in the first round of the playoffs, and Kyrie Irving to a fractured kneecap in Game 1 of the Finals against the Warriors. Despite missing two of their three best players, they managed to win two games against the eventual champion Warriors in the Finals, and GM David Griffin says all three injured players are doing well in their rehab, via Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick:

Kyrie Irving is rehabbing in Miami and David Griffin says Irving is on pace. Love & Varejao will be ready for start of camp

Irving was ruled out for three to four months after the June 5 injury, so he might not be ready for the start of training camp. But even if he’s not quite back then, he should be ready either by the start of the season or shortly after. Now that the Cavs have mostly figured out the chemistry issues that plagued them early in the season, a fully healthy version of this team will be even more difficult to beat in the Eastern Conference.